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Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Writing' Category
What makes a great character?
One of my favourite elements of fiction writing is characterisation. Creating believable and rounded characters is a challenge for any new writer or novelist. The one thing I am always asked is what does a character need in order to feel real to a reader. My simple answer is this – flaws. A writer needs [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Writers Group Meetings Update
Just a quick message here to let interested parties know that the Writers Group Meeting in Gibraltar is now held every Tuesday at 8.00pm at The Eliott Hotel Lounge Bar, Gibraltar. All beginners are welcome to attend, and the atmosphere is very informal and relaxed. Each week we discuss every area of writing and indulge in group writing [...]
Read the rest of this entry »The Book That Hooks
What makes a great hook? What defines a hook in storytelling? A great hook isn’t just limited to crime or thriller novels, it is also carefully woven between stories of love, passion and human experience. Sometimes a book pulls us in just by its subject matter. I am most attracted to books which reveal human nature [...]
Read the rest of this entry »The Authonomy Experience
In January 2010 my book,’ The Last Gift’ was featured on Authonomy, (a popular site designed by the major publishing house Harper Collins to flush out new and talented authors.) The strategy behind this site was to allow authors to feature chapters of their books on the site to be ‘read’ by members of the public and of course, other [...]
Read the rest of this entry »The Bench
The Bench is a short flash fiction story which I wrote a couple of weeks ago. Flash fiction is rather popular online these days as it consists of a minimum of 500 and a maximum of 1000 words. Flashfictiononline. com is a good site dedicated to stories of this nature! ————————————————————————- After sitting on the same [...]
Read the rest of this entry »The Rock Writers Group
At the end of last year I created a workshop in Gibraltar for those who might be interested in writing. If anyone ever had an inkling of a desire to write a horror story, thriller novel or a Catherine Cookson romance then this is the place to begin! Here will you find advice, encouragement and mentoring in the fields of [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Is writing a talent?
I have often wondered about this concept: Talent. Where does it come from, and if it’s so necessary to progress in the world, why is Posh Spice so rich? Ok that last comment might be a bit catty, but I’m sure that you know what I’m getting at? The concept of talent also makes me [...]
Read the rest of this entry »The Top Five Writing Errors Which Bug Me!
Here are the top five things which really irk me when I’m reading something: 1. Their, They’re and There all mean different things, i.e. They’re over there! There are the trees. Their hats look silly. I often want to grab a pen and correct these myself whenever I see them. 2. LOL (as in laugh [...]
Read the rest of this entry »Life and Death in Writing
I cried in my bed last night. I read the last few chapters of ‘The Time Travellers Wife.’ It made me think of life, death and all the colours inbetween. It made me look at my son’s baby face and weep, did I say that already? My review of ’The Time Traveler’s Wife’ in another blog post was made prematurely. I [...]
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